Commissioner Bell’s ‘Work Day’ features visit to Brooks Tropicals

By Maurice R. Hernandez

Vice Chair Lynda Bell is pictured with Mary Ostlund, the firm’s marketing director, during the commissioner’s “Work Day” at Brooks Tropicals in Homestead.

Miami-Dade Commission Vice Chair Lynda Bell recently toured the Brooks Tropicals packing and distribution plant in Homestead as part of her tradition of learning the everyday pressures and challenges that small businesses in her district face.

Once there, Bell received a briefing from the company’s president, N.P. Brooks; its CEO, Greg Smith, and Mary Ostlund, the firm’s marketing director, on the scope of their domestic and international tropical fruit and vegetable distribution business. After the briefing, Bell got down to business by helping to pack and prepare the fresh produce for the market.

“This was an unforgettable experience as it gave me a profound understanding of the pressures and demands this small familyrun firm faces to distribute only the freshest tropical produce to American dinner tables,” Bell said. “Brooks Tropicals is administered by dedicated individuals who place quality above all else to provide only the finest produce. I am delighted to have an institution of this caliber in my commission district.”

Founded by Charlie Brooks in the 1920s, the company has remained in the Brooks family while steadily expanding to become the premier grower, packer and shipper of tropical produce grown in Florida and the Caribbean.

Farming more than 4,000 acres, Brooks Tropicals harvests more than 70 percent of what they sell including papayas, avocados, starfruit, and other tropical specialties. In order to maintain the company’s reputation for quality tropical fruits and vegetables, Brooks Tropicals solidly invests in research and development. This has been essential in producing several revolutionary achievements over the past 30 years to help bring tropical produce to market in top condition for the enjoyment of the North American consumer.

Commissioner Bell’s “Work Days” program has been highly acclaimed by a number of governmental organizations and institutions, including the National Association of Counties (NACo) as examples in innovative leadership. If you are a business owner who would like to invite Vice Chair Lynda Bell for a “Work Day,” or if you would like more information on the program, contact her office at 305-378-6677.